1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to interactive computer communications and, more particularly, to a method for a user-friendly, automated collection and tabulation of performance measurements that directly reflects the perception of an end-user on the capabilities of the underlying communications network.
2. Background Description
Interest in interactive data services has been growing by leaps and bounds for over two decades now, and there is no hint of a slowing down of this growth. From simple file transfers, to World-Wide Web (WWW) or, simply, Web-based interactions and transactions, telecommuting and remote learning, to customer initiated and controlled digital video transmissions, etc., interactive data services become more and more a part of our every day experiences, both at the office and at home.
The success of interactive data services deployment depends on many factors, like the availability of cost effective communications technology, the quality of communication equipment used, the quality of the communications media and communications protocols adopted, etc. Prior to deploying a new service, network operators go through a certification process to certify that their networks can support the intended services. Also, during regular operation of the network, and while services are being deployed over them, network operators continue to monitor the quality of their networks and are continuously in search of possible network breakdowns, like amplifier degradation, noise interference, communication link severance, etc., that need to be fixed as soon as possible.
Although the ultimate objective of network certification and monitoring is to make sure that users, or subscribers, of the network supported services will be satisfied by the services provided, network certification and monitoring restricts itself to "low-level" measurements like signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, bit error rate (BER), percentage of lost packets (PLP), etc. Yet, as useful as this information is, it is network oriented and it does not always accurately reflect the capability of the communication system to support specific data services to subscribers. More importantly, such a certification and monitoring of the network does not reveal at all the level of satisfaction of a subscriber to an interactive data service. Subscribers do not measure satisfaction with BERs, S/Ns, etc., quantities that most probably are foreign to them. Subscribers measure satisfaction by the responsiveness of the system, e.g., how fast a file is transferred to a subscriber's computer, or how fast does a Web-page, from a simple text-based page, to an elaborate graphics-oriented page, is downloaded to the subscriber's Web-browser.
Clearly, any reputable service provider and network operator cannot afford to rely on feedback received directly from subscribers. Such feedback will, most probably, be too late received and quite likely will reflect a very dissatisfied group of subscribers. A pro-active means of network performance monitoring is needed that will provide the network operators and service providers with up-to-the-minute subscriber satisfaction measurements and will allow them sufficient time to take corrective actions whenever signs of problems arise.